The Swan Prince
by catzmeow-chan
Summary: Killian Jones was out taking a walk when he meets a strange young man in a bush. After that meeting his life changes, but is it for better or worse?
1. A Chance Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from OUAT or any other stories that you might recognize. Only the plot and the O.C.s are mine.**

1. A Chance Meeting?

Killian Jones was walking down the road enjoying one of the few sunny days he had off when he heard rustling in the bushes near the forest. "Ow! Brother, you idiot! You didn't have to come." Growling could be heard after the person spoke.

The voice and the growling from the bush put him on edge he grabbed a stone and threw it at the bush as hard as he could.

"Ah!" Squeaked the noisy bush, it sounded like a boy who was half way through becoming man. "Who threw that rock?"

Out popped a head full of messy shoulder length golden curls that covered a heart shaped face, blue eyes, a button nose and scowling bow lips. For a moment he was stunned at seeing such a beautiful girl wearing a dark brown cloak that covered most of her body, until _she_ came out of the bush rubbing_ her_ aching head and he realized _she_ was a _he_.

"Why were you hiding in the shrub?" He demanded.

"I wasn't hiding, Brother got caught in the roots and I was just trying to get him loose." The blond lanky looking youth answered moving his hair out of his face only for it to fall back in place. "Why did you throw a rock at my head?"

"I thought you were someone suspicious. We don't get a lot of new comers in town. Who's your brother?" He asked as he moved closer to the cloaked boy who was once again in the bush pulling on something.

"Not _my_ brother, his _name_ is Brother." A snort could be heard and a tinkling laugh as well as Killian heard the teen say. "There is a difference between what you are and what your name is."

"Oi, lad, let me help you out." He moved forward when suddenly something big leaped out and pounced on top of him snarling all the while.

"Thanks, but it looks like Brother got himself out alright."

"Brother here looks a lot like a wolf, lad." Drool fell from his mouth onto Killian's face. Which felt gross and slimy.

"He's half wolf, half dog." The teen laughed nervously as he pushed the dog off and offered his hand to the older one to help him up, "Sorry about that, we've been traveling for a while and don't usually come by anyone else." The boy offered him a cloth to clean off the slobber. While the wolf-dog sniffed around.

Killian took the offered cloth and wiped his face clean, "It's alright, lad, I suppose I should welcome you to our town. My name is Killian Jones, what's yours?"

"My name's Emil Swan, I come from the capital a few days away from here."

"The capital? From what kingdom?" Killian asked as he stared at the new boy with a look of awe on his face.

"The Swan Kingdom." The young man said hesitantly.

"You've come a long way from your lands, mate."

"Uh, really it isn't that far, Brother and I sort of got turned around. We were heading to visit some old acquaintances that live over in the kingdom south of here in the Enchanted Forest." The boy looks down at himself, "Though I doubt they will have me right now because of how filthy I am."

His golden hair was tangled and full of leaves and twigs and covering his face, his face, what little could be seen, was streaked with dirt, and his clothes were dusty from kicking up dirt trying to pull his dog out from the bush.

He patted himself a bit to get the dirt off. Sighing he looks up at Killian, "Would you happen to know of some place where I get cleaned up? My hair needs cutting I suppose, I need to see where I am going or else I'll walk into a tree."

-BREAK-

It was nearing mid afternoon as Killian lead both Emil and Brother through the town, walking past many shops in the market place, he took him to a shop where they could mend and clean his torn cloak and took him to buy a couple of apples, oranges, and other types of supplies for Emil to restock on.

He took them to the butcher to buy some meat for Brother to eat while they were there and bought some dried meat to eat on their journey.

They passed by a bakery where he flirted with the baker's daughter and got them a loaf of bread to eat on their way to the barber's shop.

"This place, here, is the best barber shop in town, mate. I, myself, come when I get the chance." Emil nodded and followed Killian into the shop motioning for Brother to stay outside. The shop was big and there three barbers at work, some men were waiting to get their own hair cut talking amongst themselves, but stopped when they saw them walk in.

Emil noticed a dark figure launch itself at his new friend, before he could say anything the creature let out a squeal. Killian felt the body land on his back and he stumbled slightly closer towards Emil.

"Look who's finally shown his pretty little face, Killian Jones!"

Killian was mesmerized by Emil's eyes he could clearly see them even though his hair fell before his face Emil looked just as mesmerized as he looked into Killian's. "Aye, lass, it's Killian Jones." He said as he tore his gaze away from the young boy leaving him looking confused and a bit flushed. Emil took a few deep breaths as he calmed his racing heart.

"Who's your friend, Killian?" A young woman with gray eyes and long dark brown hair asked as she looked around Killian's shoulder. She looked to be around Emil's age, "My, you look a mess. Come let's wash your hair so papa can cut it." She took Emil's hand and pulled him towards a basin filled with clear water.

"My name's Milah, what's yours?"

"Emil Swan."

He answered as Milah made him lean over the basin and pour water over his head with a cup. Soon the water turned muddy with all the dirt, twigs and leaves mix in and out of his hair.

After the girl finished drying his hair it seemed to shine even more, especially since the sunlight that shone through the windows was hitting it at just the right angle.

"Well Swan, do all of the inhabitants of the Swan Kingdom's hair shine as bright as yours?" Killian asked jokingly.

Emil only rolled his eyes as he ran a dirty hand through his hair, "It's a trick of the light, Jones. I'm just glad it's clean now." Milah slapped his hand away and pushed him onto the barber's chair to prepare him for his hair cut.

As long strands of the golden hair fell the closer the two other teens would look at Emil's face, they noticed that he was rather young, but good looking.

When Emil opened his eyes they could see that instead of just blue his eyes also had a bit of green to them, the colors clashed in his eyes so they couldn't tell which was dominant, as the barber finished he took look at himself in the the mirror.

His face was still a little dirty but at least his hair was under control now it was cut short just above his eyebrows so that he could style it up if he wanted to, at least it was out of his eyes.

"You know Emil I think I fancy myself falling in love with you." Milah sighed as she stared at the boy a bit awestruck by Emil's beauty. Killian tried to smother a laugh as Emil Swan looked at the girl through the mirror with horror filled eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Swan she means nothing by it. If a man's got a pretty face, Milah will fancy herself in love half of the time."

"But this time I am really in love. You'll marry me right Emil?" The girl looked pleadingly at him.

"NO!" He all but yelled.

Killian was laughing out right, this kid couldn't take a joke and Milah giggled and made her way to his side as the other men laughed at Milah's antics.

"Fine then I won't marry you. You are probably a poor farm boy from a poor family that wouldn't be able to feed me or all the children that I want to have."

Emil glared, "I could too, in the Swan Kingdom, one becomes an adult when they turn fifteen."

"If you're grown up, why does your voice still change?" Milah asked as her head cocked to the side curiously.

Scowling Emil reached for his money pouch, "I haven't grown up all the way yet, but by law I am an adult." Taking a few coins and trying to hand it to the barber.

"Oh your money won't do any good here, son."

"What?" Emil asked perplexed as he stared at his money and hoped he wouldn't have to marry Milah for a simple, but well needed hair cut. "Why not? I always make sure that I have money when ever I travel, is it..." He took a breath hoping it wasn't what he thought it was, "Is it not enough?"

"Oh no, son, I was thinking if I could just keep your hair instead. It shines like gold and it looks strong enough that it can be used as lace."

Emil's eyebrows shot upwards at the barber's words. "Lace?"

"Yes, I make lace." The man said in front of his other clients, his daughter and Killian, not a bit ashamed at his admission. In fact the man looked proud of the fact.

Both males looked into each others eyes with a such seriousness that Killian couldn't keep the grin of amusement off his face.

In the end Emil consented to the use of his hair so long as he received one of the lace masterpieces. This made the barber happy and surprised the other two youths, usually clients that were asked ridiculed Milah's father before leaving and never returning.

Later when asked Emil would just shrug and respond, "There are women who do a man's job for extra income, so obviously there will be men who do a woman's job for the extra income as well." The others just left it at that, touched at his thoughtfulness.

It was nearing sunset when Killian, Emil and Brother finally made their way through the town to where the Enchanted Forest bordered it. Brother had already run ahead of them, Emil didn't seem worried as he put on his clean and repaired cloak, he was used to his wolf-dog having a head start.

"There you are mate. Keep on this road and it should take you were you want to go."

"Thanks Jones I had a lot of fun today, perhaps I'll come through again on my way back to the capital and stay for more then a few hours."

Killian nodded his head, he hated having to say goodbye, he couldn't believe he'd already grown so attached to the younger lad. Emil took a white feather from the inside of his shirt and presented it to him.

"Here keep this until I come back. This is very important to me, so you have to keep it safe."

"If it's so important why are you giving it to me?"

"Insurance for me to come back?" Emil grinned widely his cheeks rosy, he thought the boy looked cute and wanted to hug him close. He quickly snapped himself back to reality and listened to the rest of Emil's small speech. "Or my queen will think I am being lazy."

"I'll keep it safe Swan, just make sure you come back and visit." Killian said as he gave is new friend a smile.

Emil nodded and turned towards the forest. In a flash of white smoke he transformed into a giant white swan, feathers ruffled in the slight breeze that had been created. Killian Jones stood there amazed at what he had just witnessed. He looked closely at the transformed boy before him and tired to take in every little detail he could.

The swan looked back at him and it looked like it had winked at him, though he could have just imagined it, spread its wings and took off. He stood there until he couldn't see the swan in the sky any longer and walked back home the feather tucked away in his shirt safe until Emil came back to reclaim it.

**A/N: Ok I told myself that I wasn't going to start another story but I just needed to get this one out of my head. Anyway please let me know what you think. Or not it is up to you... lol.**


	2. The Return

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from OUAT or any other stories that you might recognize. Only the plot and the O.C.s are mine.**

2. The Return

Five months later as the tree leaves started to change their colors and the days started to become shorter he found himself sitting at a tavern looking at the white feather in his hand. How odd that he'd be acting this way after knowing the boy for a few hours.

He sighed and twirled the feather in his hand, he found himself doing that a lot especially when he had free time working on the ship, the light from the window shining on it made it seem as though it is glowing.

"You look like a love struck girl the way you sigh and smile a goofy smile over a trinket given to her by her lover." Milah said as she joined him for lunch.

Offended Killian put the feather away, "I am not a love struck girl, but you have never seen magic like I did when Emil left, it was amazing!"

"Yes, yes, he transformed into a white swan and flew away. Personally, I think you imagined it as Emil walked into the woods." In a much quieter tone she added, "You know what the law about magic is here."

"You insult me, lass. I know what I saw and I know the law." He told her as he took a bite out of his food.

"Uh-huh, but he did seemed nice the way he didn't judge papa for making lace. He was a real gentleman."

"Oi, love, I'm always a gentleman."

"You, my dear Killian are more like a bully that pushes his crush around because he doesn't know how to talk to her." Milah snickered.

"Hey I'm not a.." he stopped short as a few people walked into the noisy tavern.

"I want to try some ale!" A little girl said as she walked towards the bar. One of the men next to her dress in a simple traveling tunic and breeches picked her up and headed and towards a table.

"No ale for you take my word for it that is isn't very good, come on let's find some seats while your papa orders."

"Anything in particular that you want, child?" The girl's father asked.

"Nothing with mushrooms, old man." He said as he took a seat and smirked at him.

The older man looked over his shoulder and glared at the young man with his daughter. "If my little Grace didn't like you as much as she did you'd be beaten for that comment, Swan."

Emil snickered as he hid his face behind the girl, "I'm so scared, protect me Gracie. Your papa wants me stop coming to your lovely little tea parties." Grace giggled at him and her father who snorted on his way to the bar.

Grace climbed up onto Emil's lap and started to play with his hair growing hair that he had to brush back and asked, "Emi, why did we come to this town?"

"I told you I found some new friends here and her majesty had me come on an assignment. Don't you like it here?"

The little girl frowned as she laid her head on his shoulder, "This town feels like it's wrong. It's a nice one, but there's something wrong." That was all the confirmation that Emil needed. Queen Odette had asked to reclaim this little sea port town in her name as soon as possible, now all that was left were the right pieces.

"Swan!" The youth looked up to see his new found friend and smiles.

"Jones!" Getting up with Grace still in arms one of them releasing her to grab Killian's arm.

"Emil, it's great to see you again." Milah says from behind Killian.

Nodding at her, "It is great to see you again as well."

Looking at Grace she asked, "When did you become a father. Or is she your sister?" Blushing Emil, "She's..." the reply was cut off abruptly by someone clearing their throat.

"Excuse me, if you don't mind I would like to feed my daughter, Swan set her down on her chair. You look like you want to rush off with her and I am not allowing you to marry her."

To Killian and Milah's surprise Emil only clutched Grace closer and pouted only to respond with, "But I have already chosen our rings and who will be in the wedding. You, by the way, will not be in it."

Killian thought his friend looked rather adorable and quickly shook those thoughts away. Men don't have thoughts about their male friends like that. They especially do not think about their plump kissable lips.

"Oh! No wonder you wouldn't marry me. You already have a sweetheart."

This made Grace's father snorted, "In this brat's dreams, my daughter won't be getting married to the likes of him. Ever."

"You are such a dotting father, Jefferson." Emil said and sat Grace down between them, Killian and Milah took a seat across from them and they ate their lunch together after a brief introduction.

-BREAK-

They had just left Jefferson and Grace at their mushroom stand and it amazed the two to see Emil bargaining with the older man over a few mushrooms. They realized that it was an act to get others interested in Jefferson's wares.

Grace would help too by looking cute and adorable and would tell anyone that would listen that her father was keeping the best mushrooms that had been harvested hidden for the best buyer. People started to surround them as Emil started offering him a low number and Jefferson tried to make it higher.

Grace started attending to customers that wanted to buy some of Jefferson's mushrooms and only added her input when their crazy play started to dwindle down, to keep others interested.

Emil moved and let some other person step in to haggle for mushrooms with Jefferson. Waving to the two as he walked towards Killian and Milah.

"That was amazing mate, where did you learn to do that?"

Emil shrugged, "It's something one picks up when you travel like I do. Ever since I started working Queen Odette has me looking for things that there are times that I don't have enough money to buy my supplies and my royal pass isn't accepted everywhere, so it takes forever to get word to the capital and back even in my swan form."

Killian looked at Milah and gave her a look that said 'I told you so', she scowled at him and walked ahead. Mumbling about needing to buy fruit at the vendor's cart.

Not a second later there was a loud commotion from the direction where Milah had gone, "Hey, that's mine!"

The voice they heard sounded like, "MILAH!" Emil yelled.

They rushed off to help their friend. Once they got close to the crowd they could see that her long brown hair was being pulled by a younger girl with blonde shoulder length braids and freckles across her nose.

She was holding a coin pouch in her left hand and pulling as hard as she could with her right to make Milah release her.

Milah was pulling her by the shirt trying to get her closer even though the pain going through her head was awful, she couldn't loose her money.

They rushed in to separate the girls, Emil grabbed the younger girl's hand squeezing her wrist enough to let go of the fist full of hair and Killian took the blonde girl, who'd dropped the money pouch.

The girl stepped on his instep and jammed her elbow as hard as she could into his stomach, and ran away once she felt him release her, but not before grabbing her hat, which had fallen onto the ground in her fight with Milah. Emil ran after her after making sure his friends were ok.

He followed her through back alley ways and almost lost her a couple of times. It began to seem like hours that he was following her, but he had noticed that the buildings begun to change from little shops, to houses and there were some children playing in the street giving him weird looks as he ran by.

Finally she stopped in front of a gated house and he walked up quietly behind her, he placed a hand on her shoulder making her jump and nearly punch him in the face if he hadn't dodged.

"Who are you?" She demanded, "What do you want?"

"I'm surprised you don't remember me since we saw each other in the market place not to long ago."

The girl paled making her freckles stand out as her sea green colored eyes widened under the brim of her hat. She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the house, looking from side to side and behind Emil to make sure no one was paying them any attention. Closing the door behind them with a slam she turned around to look at the young man that had followed her all the way home.

Before she could utter a word someone's voice came from upstairs, "Sister, is that you? Are you going somewhere?"

Footsteps could be heard and soon they saw another young woman walking down the stairs. "Who is this, a suitor?" Asked the young lady who had golden blonde hair and dark blue eyes was a bit taller then both Emil and the girl he had followed, she looked to be about nineteen or so. Her beauty made Emil's breath catch as he thought he was looking at a replica of his Queen.

"That's right!"The younger sister said, "A suitor, why else would he be here?" She laughed nervously and played with her fingers while looking down at the floor.

Emil felt his eye twitch when he saw that the older of the two was not convinced, but smiled pleasantly at him and cocked her head slightly to the side, "Then he should stay for tea."

**A/N: Sounds rather ominous doesn't it? Lol anyway let me know what you think**


	3. Identities Revealed

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from OUAT or any other stories that you might recognize. Only the plot and the O.C.s are mine.**

3. Identities Revealed

Tea time for Emil was awkward and that was putting it mildly, used to playing pretend with Grace and always refusing when invited for tea at the castle because some of the other members of the court were jealous of the fact that he'd been taken in, in the first place. Which he found stupid because he was taken in by the prince and his son, the queen had only given him a job.

"So tell me, where did you met?" The elder asked.

"We met in the market, sister, I was buying an apple and he offered to pay for it." Emil slightly winced at the lie the younger sister told.

"What do you like about my little sister?" She asked.

He opened his mouth to respond, but she beat him to it, "He always says how much he likes my eyes and the way I think."

Another lie Emil tried his best not to wince, 'And look her older sister was staring at him again with a frown on her lovely face.' The thought passed through his mind as he watched her lean forward into her chair and interlace her fingers together. Emil noticed something odd about the lady's fingers.

"Lin, will you go and fetch us some more sugar." She asked as she handed the sugar pot to her sister.

"But, but.."

"Now Goslin and take your time." Her sibling said tersely, Emil could have sworn that the older woman's voice deepened for a moment.

Goslin nodded and left the room closing the door behind her. Watching her sister leave she turned back to him. Resting her elbows on the table again she interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on them.

"Who are you?"

"Emil Swan, miss."

"Why are you parading around like a man?"

That question startled him, no one had ever found out about his true gender so fast before, about to reply he was cut off again.

"You see, I am attracted to women. To their soft skin, tender bosoms, and of course the fact that there is a lack of a penis." Emil felt his cheek grow warm and he knew for certain that he was blushing when he saw her smirk.

_He_ sighed and put his hands up in surrender, "I will admit that you are the first person who's guessed what I am without seeing me naked." _She_ said in a more feminine voice, "I am not a man, but I am very curious as to why **you **are parading around as a woman?"

She enjoyed the little rush of victory that ran up her spine when she saw the person across the table stiffen.

"How..."

"Your hands," she explained as she sipped her tea, "Are a little thick and not very delicate. Though I bet they are soft." Setting the cup down she copied her companion's movements from before, "Now would you mind telling me who you are?"

Sighing the man across from her said in a deep voice, "My name is Otto. I am the first born child of Baroness Odile of the Swan Kingdom and rightful heir to the barony and this town."

Emil's eyes widened at the information he'd been given, he wasn't lying. A feeling of excitement over came her as she thought that this man was the one she was looking for, the right piece that she needed in order to claim the town in the name of the queen.

"Why have you not come to the castle? Surely you felt when her majesty's curse was broken?"

Otto gave her a withering glare, "Of course we felt it, but we were captured and our wings clipped when we transformed. The current baron held us prisoners in our own home until I could get us away. We have been stuck here ever since. "

He pulled his long golden hair that he had grown to make it look more natural. "I was lucky that I still had friends that could take us in. The current baron passed a law that if anyone was caught using magic they would be put to death, I had to change everything about me so that we wouldn't be found and Goslin did not need much of a disguise, since he wasn't worried about a woman causing trouble."

"How is it that you haven't been found? Why didn't he try to find you and what happened to your mother?" She questioned him, she needed all the information before she could send for any help.

He eyed her carefully as he carefully thought about what to say, "He knows we are still in town, he doesn't care because he knows that we can't leave, we have tried but we can never get to far before being called back to the town. As for my mother."

His eyes saddened at the thought of the older woman lieing on the floor after she pushed him out of harms way. "No one has seen her out in public for as long as the barrier has been up."

Emil groaned and slammed a fist on the table in her anger rattling the cups in their plates, "Damn it! The Her Majesty Odette will not be happy to hear that."

"How did you get in?" Goslin asked softly from the doorway.

"What?"

Emil asked the younger girl as she stood to help her with the sugar pot, "No one new has ever come into town. It is as if we have been sealed off."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, "I noticed about five years back, when we first managed to escape and were making our way to the capital by foot, the roads were always busy with people, it seemed like a barrier was keeping them from entering" she confessed, "as we continued I noticed less and less carts or horses and their riders. How did you manage to enter?"

Emil explained that animals could still come and go no sense in keeping the game away.

"One thing is certain that your mother is not dead." Emil said as she thought out a plan, "It is connected to her and if she were to die, so would the barrier. The thing is finding her and I happen to be very good at finding things and people."

Both siblings shared a look.

Otto was the one who spoke, "We know where she is Emil, but our mother is not in her right of mind. When she helped us escape she suffered a blow to the head. We have not seen her out side of the manor, but there are some servants that still work for there that tell us what goes on. She has no memory of us, when we left the baron took down any evidence of us ever being there. Our existence erased and we do not know what to do."

Emil thought long and hard, "I will have to send a message out to alert her majesty."

They walked her down to the door in silence not wanting to let go the only person that knew who they were and what they represented, but both understood that it had to be done.

"Please be careful, Mr. Swan, the streets are dangerous this time of night." Otto said in a light feminine voice, as Goslin stood beside him, they placed their masks back on.

Instead of an older brother caring for his younger sister, there stood two young ladies living on their own.

She smiled at them and nodded, before she left though Otto walked up to her and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips and whispered, "Good night gentle lady."

Some what dazed at what had happened she walked towards the market place to the tavern where she knew Jefferson and Grace would be.

She was going to need to get the feather back from Killian to send word to her majesty about what she'd discovered today.

Looking at the sky she smiled it was going to be a nice and cool night, she thought as she made her way back.

-BREAK-

A few nights after meeting Otto and Goslin and sending word back to the capitol, Emil found herself eating with her friends.

Jefferson and Grace were leaving the next morning since they had managed to sell most of the mushrooms they'd picked.

Milah had invited a new boyfriend she recently started seeing three months ago, much to Killian's annoyance, but was happy she was happy.

"Emil," she raised her eyes to Milah in a questioning glance, "Tell us about your travels." She asked.

"Jefferson and little Grace told us that you travel around a lot and always manage to bring back amusing trinkets." Killian explained.

"Tell them the story of our adventure in Wonderland. They would like that."

"No, papa, Emi should tell them the one about Neverland. Where you fought off the vicious Tiger Lilly." Grace and Jefferson got into an argument over which story Emil should tell much to her amusement.

"How about I tell you the story about how I was shrunk for the winter and met this wonderful girl named Thumbelina?" Emil suggested.

They all sat there enthralled by her story telling, she didn't skip any of the details either. Her hazel eyes sparkled when she described her, her friend was almost forced to marry a toad whose mother had had kidnapped her in the late summer.

She didn't forget about the beetle who she beat up for calling her friend ugly and leaving her alone to find her way home, so close to the begging of winter, she still remembered how she had found her friend half frozen and would have frozen as well if it wasn't for a field mouse that had taken them in.

She told them about the greedy mole who was more worried about his possessions being stolen then helping someone and also wanted to marry Thumbelina because she like a ray of sunshine he could stand.

"That's when I discovered that the field mouse only took us in because of Thumbelina, she wanted to pawn her off on the mole so she wouldn't have to continue cooking for him and keep me for herself." She said with a shudder. She told them of how they found their friend a hopeless romantic fairy that was in love with love and carried a lyre and helped him get away when the mole got possessive.

"Wait I thought fairies were only female, Swan."

"Perhaps in our world, Jones, but when I was traveling with my master, we went to another where there are both male and female fairies, they even have children and live their lives Thumbelina ended up marrying the fairy prince and on her wedding night she got her wings to fly."

Leaning on the table she finished with a dazed look remembering the hill side where she spent an entire winter shrunken to the size of a thumb, "It is a beautiful world and helped me see things from a different perspective, perhaps one day I will return and maybe you could come along."

"That would be marvelous." A woman's voice said behind her.

She turned to look behind her. There stood Otto in a dark ankle length peasant dress that made him look slim and feminine and a choker that covered his Adam's apple, his long golden hair was loose and down to his waist while his lips painted in a light pink color.

"O..." She began, but was stopped as he walked up to her and kissed her. When he pulled away she had a dazed look on her face and took that moment to look at the others around the table.

There were a series of shocked faces.

A young man around his age with piercing crystal blue eyes and jet black hair with a darkening scruff on his stubborn chin and looked as though he was heart broken wearing a simple shirt and black breeches.

A young brunette with playful gray eyes whose mouth was hanging slightly open and was wearing a forest green peasant shirt that came off her smooth shoulders as another young man,who looked oddly familiar, was trying to snap her out of it patting her face lightly.

A little dark blonde haired girl no older then five or six dressed in a cute dress that looked like it was hand made by someone who did not know what they were doing, whose beautiful sparkling dark brown eyes were wide and her mouth slightly hung open forming an 'o'.

And a man with mid length brown and tangled hair with his dark blue eyes, wearing a tailored coat that had seen better days and pants that had also need mending, glared at him though he wasn't sure why maybe it was because he'd kissed Emil in front of him or because he'd interrupted their dinner and conversation, Otto couldn't bring himself to care much because he'd found Emil.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but you see I've had you on my mind since we met and I wanted to spend time with you."

Emil's eyes narrowed a bit, she knew what it was truly about, but didn't want to cause a scene in front of her friends. "Of course, come, let me pull a up seat for you."

Otto introduced himself as Nadya to everyone and joined them for dinner. Through out the night they talked and laughed.

Emil noticed that Milah's boyfriend was somewhat fidgety and was always looking over his shoulder as though expecting someone to show up, he'd then turn back to look at Grace, Jefferson and herself. Her eyes would narrow a bit, but she'd forget because someone had asked her about some of her other travels.

When he was asked how they met, he told them that Emil had walked his sister home a couple of days ago from the market and stayed for tea.

Everyone at the table quieted as Emil ate and watched.

"A couple of days ago, you say?" Milah asked, "You know there was a commotion at the market place. Someone was trying to steal someone's money bag."

"That sounds horrible."

"Indeed, in fact it was a young lady that attempted to steal," Killian said.

"A girl?" This got Otto's attention as he looked at Milah and Killian with narrowed eyes not sure what they were trying to imply, "and what did this girl look like?"

"Oh you know, blonde hair shoulder length, cute freckled face, and rather strong grip," Milah started as she rubbed her head.

"Lovely sea green eyes, knows how to defend herself very well I might add." Killian added rubbing his stomach.

Eyes widening Otto paled, just what had his sister been up to, he didn't know. "Are you saying that you think my sister is the one that tried to steal? From you?"

"Miss Nadya, after talking about it with you we don't think, we know. Would you care to explain why your sister decided to steal?"

Otto stuttered not really knowing what to say, Emil thought he looked rather cute and decided to help him out, "Guys, I think we should let her off the hook. She obviously didn't know and if she had I am sure Nadya would have stopped her."

Otto nodded in agreement, "That is right when I get home I promise that I will make her apologize properly to you and she will receive a severe punishment." Every chore that she had been putting off for the last few months would be done by hand, he thought, it explained why their only maid came in to cook and do laundry on her days off.

This seemed to placate them and they finished eating dinner.

Jefferson and Grace left soon afterwards to sleep for their trip back home in the morning. Grace made a show of not wanting to leave her new friends and Emil jokingly said something about keeping her forever. Jefferson growled and after a little bit of bargaining she left to go to bed with him.

Milah also left for the night with her boyfriend after saying their good nights that left Killian, Emil and Otto sitting at a table having drinks.

"Emil, darling, there is something that I would like to talk to you about. In privet."

She looked over at him and nodded her head, "I have a room here." She got up to go and turned to her friend, "You going to stay long?"

"For a while longer mate, don't worry about me." He smiled even though he didn't feel very cheery. He watched as his friend walked up with the lady towards his room.

"It's not good form to be pining over the affections of a friend's woman, lad."

"It isn't the woman's attention I am pining for, mate." He replied scowling into his rum. The man at his side laughed loudly.

"So you are one of _those_ men, eh?" Killian looked at him a bit confused at what the man was implying. "The type of man that enjoys dalliances with other men. No need to be embarrassed." He left Killian alone, laughing as he stumbled out of the tavern in his drunken stupor to turn in for the night.

Killian's face was red not with embarrassment, but with anger. He sat in his chair seething over what the other man had said, how dare he just make assumptions... he lost his train of thought when he felt someone take the seat beside him.

How long had he been sitting there?

Even though he didn't know the young man for very long he couldn't deny there was a connection there, one that he wasn't sure he wanted to explore.

He turned around and examined his friend looking at him closely he found dark red bruises on the side of his neck, his eyes were slightly glazed over, lips slightly swollen, and he looked relaxed. "I see that Miss Nadya didn't come down."

"Just resting a bit, I came down to get something to dri..." Emil's sentence died as he looked to the doorway and his mouth dropped.

Killian followed his freind's gaze and noticed that a man with dark brown hair and dark brown cloak with a symbols that he wasn't familiar with had entered.

He watched as his friend quickly got up and lost the relaxed glazed look in his eye as he walked up to the man to kneel. The man smiled tenderly at Emil and made him stand up.

He silently observed his friend and the new comer, he felt his heart clench as he watched the unknown stranger place a kiss on his friend's forehead as though they were familiar with one another.

Emil smiled as he hugged him and was engulfed in return making Killian realize how small Emil was compared to other men.

Releasing each other Emil pointed him to a table and walk back up to Killian. "Miss, a round over at the table where the gent is sitting at, if you would."

Dragging Killian by the hand to where the stranger was sitting she introduced them after they had their drinks.

"Killian Jones allow me to introduce you to one of your monarchs his royal highness heir to the throne Neal Siegfried., but away from the castle he is known as Neal Cassidy.

Your majesty, this is my new friend that I told you about last time I saw you, Killian Jones."

Neal's smile brighten a bit as he saw his friend excited to introduce him another friend she made on her own. She's come far from being that child that was afraid of her own shadow for no reason and only finding solace in his son or himself, he thought fondly.

"So you are Killian Jones. I must say my son and I were becoming quite jealous of the fact that this kid spoke so fondly of you."

"You were, he does?" Killian asked surprised at this bit of information, glancing at his friend who was smiling like an idiot at how happy he was.

"Indeed," chuckling he took a sip of ale, "so much so that we both have been working on ways to bring you to the castle perhaps then Emil will stop wanting to leave so much."

Wanting to get the conversation away from herself and back to the matters at hand Emil asked, "Did you get the message? What did her majesty say?"

"Of course I got it, I am here, aren't I?"

"Of course you're here Neal, but I thought Queen Odette would come to town."

"Her magic is weak after we took back the other two towns with in weeks of each other. This time it is up to us." He threw a satchel onto the table, "Everything we need is in this bag..."

He felt a bit foolish asking but it needed to be done if he wanted to know, "Pardon me, what do you mean by up to us? I thought we didn't have any royalty to bow down to anymore, just the Baron and his family."

Emil and Neal looked at the town's native, did he really not know the town's history? They looked at each other as though having a conversation with their eyes.

Finally Emil was the one who told him about what was going on. "First off this town belongs to the Swan Kingdom, any town established had to have permission by the crown. As I told you when we first met, the capital is a few days away. In the last few years someone overthrew the original ruler and replaced them with none natives of the kingdom. We haven't figured out who did, how, or why it happened yet."

"How's that even possible, lad, don't you think we would have noticed?"

Emil nodded her head, "I'm sure you would have, but the shift in the balance of power could have been as subtle as a marriage or an adoption."

"Or magic." Neal added.

Emil nodded in agreement, "That's right or magic. Over twenty years ago her Majesty Odette was cursed to remain a swan by day and turn into a maiden by night, when his Majesty Derek Siegfried broke the curse both his kingdom and her kingdom combined there were three towns chosen to become the gateways into the kingdom, these towns were assigned to those who helped end the curse as the gatekeepers.

Her majesty's cousin Odile, who became baroness of the only sea port town.

His majesty's best friend Benno Bromley, who became lord of a town near the northern mountains," the mention of the northern mountains made Neal shift a bit in his seat.

"And to her majesty's close friends Sirs Jean Bob, Hector Tortue and another man named Erik Du Macareux, who are the protecting knights of a town that surrounded a magical lake that could restore things that were lost near the Enchanted Forest that mysteriously dried up years ago."

Killian found it hard to process all of this information, "Alright let's say that I believe you why are these towns so important?"

Neal decided to answer, "Like Emil said these towns are a type of gateway, they form a barrier that protects the the Swan Kingdom from invasion, without them we are easy targets for our enemies."

"The lords and lady of the towns hold a magical object that centers and controls the barrier." Emil explained.

Neal only nodded an continued, "The object is something that they always have around them and they can only be wielded by the true heirs of the titles. With the barrier up and modified no one outside of the kingdom knows that these towns exist."

"Neal and I managed to take back the northern town and the lake town, now all that is left is the sea port town. Jones, it's the last one and the curse will be completely broken."

"See that is were you are wrong, mate, this town can't be cursed, no one is allowed to use magic or they are charged with death."

Emil looked at Neal worriedly as though asking for guidance, "They must be laws to keep the any citizens that can use magic under control. Control through fear."

"Killian, when you are out fishing out on your ship do you ever feel something like a pull calling you to return, you never go pass a certain point. You said so yourself it has been awhile since any new comers had come through town. I am sure that many people here have families elsewhere in other towns but never leave to visit them. Have you even noticed anyone getting married or having children?"

Killian thought long and hard about it, the lad had a point he'd not seen many travelers come through town since he was a child, only Emil, Jefferson, and Grace had come through, he had also never tried to leave town now that he thought about it no one had and it seemed like the towns people were dwindling somewhat as well. That was just a coincidence, right?

"What you say makes a lot of sense, though if this so called curse is real how would we go about getting rid of it?"

"How about discussing the plan with someone who will be playing a part in it?" An annoyed not so feminine voice said from behind Killian.

Looking over his shoulder he saw a rumpled young woman who looked like she'd just gotten up from bed. Her hair was tussled, lips also slightly swollen and a slight scowl on her lovely face. He was confused as to where the male's voice had come from.

She was tying her choker back on and fixed her dress as she sat down and took a long drink from Emil's ale much to Killian's annoyance. It was going to be a long night.

**A/N: Wow a lot was revealed in this chapter wasn't it? Kind of confused me at first, but as I typed it is seemed to make sense. **


	4. More Revealings

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from OUAT or any other stories that you might recognize. Only the plot and the O.C.s are mine.**

4. More Revealings

As morning came Emil found herself waking up with a body on either side of her. Her only thought at the moment was that she was hot.

Neal's arm was draped across her chest, Otto's leg strewn over her own legs. She'd grown used to it since she was found all those years ago by the prince's son. When they allowed her to sleep with them because she was having nightmares about being tortured and poked and prodded every which way.

Thinking back to the events of last night and she went over the strategy in her head again. She never understood why she was good at what she did, just that she was and it was this skill and the fact that she could wield magic that had impressed her majesty so much that she was allowed to stay and given the name Swan, which was a high honor. Henry gave her her given name Emi. From the first two letters on a half heart necklace she was wearing when he discovered her being her only identification. She smiled as she remembered the look on Killian's face as both Otto and Neal followed her up to her room for the night. Then she frowned when she realized that he didn't know that she was a woman, that made her come to another realization if she wanted to keep Killian for herself she'd need to tell him, but how.

Getting out of bed and making sure not to wake the other two she got dressed. First she had to bind her chest which was a real pain, when she was younger she never had a problem but when she had started to mature it started to get troublesome.

She couldn't go traveling across the lands as a woman, it was dangerous, not to mention they bounced when she ran around it got annoying when it did happen. Not many people knew that she was a woman traipsing as a man, only the royal family and those that were close to her. She never said anything about being a woman, but then again she never bothered to correct people when they assumed she was a man either.

Next she tucked her tan loose fitting shirt into her modified black breeches and sat down to tie up the laces of her boots.

She finished getting dressed, grabbed her cloak and walked out of the room leaving the other two occupants to wake up in each others arms. She giggled thinking at how fast it'll take them to realize that she wasn't there.

Walking around town in the early morning helped her clear her mind, she watched mothers with their children walking about, men cleaning their shops for their customers. It all seemed so perfect and empty. From her exploring the day after she'd met Otto and Goslin she'd learned that all of the elderly were sent away no one had been told were to just that they were picked up one day five years ago and sent off, no deaths have been recorded since only a couple of births. It seemed as though life had stopped in this town.

She'd also learned that some young women had gone missing as well. No one knew what was going on it was odd that these girls would just vanish. They were all of marrying age, beautiful, young and were all being courted around the time of their disappearance.

"Swan!" She was snapped out of her daze and noticed she was at the docks. She looked around to see who'd called her name.

"Morning!"

"What brings you to the docks, mate?" He said as he carried ripped nets from the fishing ship looking awake and wide eyed from the sea breeze.

"Just walking around. I was thinking about going into the forest. Want to come with me?" A slight frown marred her friends face. He was s bit more focused on the fact that his friend had slept with a man and not a woman, one of them a royal even, he wouldn't judge his friend his preferences but he couldn't help but think about it.

"Is this about last night? You want to test the barrier limits as part of the plan?"

Emil nodded and continued walking. "I think it would be best I want to see how it affects the town's people and I will need a guinea pig won't I?"

Killian shuddered as they made their way to the forest where he'd seen her leave from. They stopped momentarily at the spot where he saw her transform, he was hesitant to continue, but followed Emil anyway.

"You know, I wonder why the curse doesn't mess with the weather?" Emil walked forward not noticing Killian's hesitation as she concentrated on the path in front of her. Looking into the trees for anything out of the ordinary.

"Of course it messes with the weather, the day you found Brother and I was because a storm had thrown us off course. The closer we tried getting to the town to seek a place to rest, the worse the storm got. I landed unconscious in the bush where Brother got stuck." Emil stopped.

"What is it?"

Emil shushed him, they both listened off into the distance they heard a girl's scream. Eyes widening they raced off towards the screaming child, they were shocked to see a pair of men attacking another that was protecting a child with his body.

They ran in to help him, Emil pulled one of the men away by his shirt, pushed off with her back foot and rotated her right arm punching him right in the face and knocking him out with one punch.

Killian grabbed the other attacker by the back of his shirt and pulled him away from the man and child, he punched him but he didn't go down, so he tried something that Emil had told them about the night before, he aimed for the attacker's temple and punched, the man fell to the ground unconscious. They didn't see a third man run off as he walked over to help Emil with the people that were ambushed.

"Jefferson, Grace are you alright?" Emil asked as she tried dusting the young girl's clothes off as best she could.

Grace clung to Emil's clothes as she sobbed and Jefferson looked angry as he dusted himself off, there was also a glint in his eye that he didn't like very much. "What was that about?"

"They were trying to get us to return to town." Jefferson said as he calmed down. Grace's cries only got louder until she was picked up by Emil who calmed her down. "What is going on, **boy**." Jefferson spat still upset and feeling sore from being beaten to the ground.

"I am sorry I didn't think anyone would, but perhaps because your aren't from around here they did."

"What are you talking about? I thought you'd given up speaking in riddles when we left Wonderland."

"There's something wrong with this town, papa." Grace whispered from Emil's arms, "It's why you had to transform us to enter the town wasn't it?" Emil rubbed soothing circles on Grace's back and held her tightly whispering 'I'm sorry' in her ear looking as though she'd start crying herself.

Killian felt a pang run through his heart at the sight. They all heard shuffling and twigs breaking in the forest around them Emil quickly handed Grace to Jefferson and waved her hand at them transforming them into starlings "Go! Fly away!" She watched them as they took to the sky and arrows shot after them but missed since she was making sure that they weren't hit.

Hearing a loud thunk she turned to find Killian lying on the ground unconscious and felt a sharp sting in the side of her neck. Her vision went black.

**A/N: I am so sorry for not updating sooner my laptop decided that it wanted to not work anymore and after five years of use I don't really blame it. Now tell me what you think, I don't have anyone going over it and checking it out for me so I could do with constructive criticism. Sorry that this chapter is short.  
**


	5. Meeting the Enemy

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from OUAT or any other stories that you might recognize. Only the plot and the O.C.s are mine.**

5. Meeting the Enemy

"SWAN!" A voice was yelling echoing in the distance she couldn't make out who it was, she didn't want to wake up yet she was having a nice dream for once. "SWAN, WAKE UP, MATE!" Mate? Since when did she have a mate? She wasn't old enough for suitors, was she? Papa wouldn't allow it...the thought lazily floated in and away before it could cement in her head, Emil opened her eyes slowly and groaned. "Swan? Swan answer me, lad."

"I'm up, I'm up." That's right she was posing as a man for the queen, she was on a mission with a plan and she was going to see it through.

"It's about bloody time, mate, thought you'd died or something."

"What happened?" She asked sitting up slowly taking off her cloak as she looked around. She found herself locked up in a small dungeon like room, Killian was across from her in a similar cell.

"I don't know, all I remember is you turning Jefferson and Grace into birds and them flying away. What was that?"

"A simple transformation spell, I don't remember where I learned it, but it seemed appropriate at the time."

"Will they be able to turn back?"

"Course they will they just need to reach home, or I will have to find them and change them back. Piece of cake."

They heard footsteps walking towards them, they tried to hear any bits of conversation they could in case they managed to escape and could get to Neal.

Finally the door opened and in walked a tall, young, and handsome man with black hair military cut hair wearing riding gear. Emil recognized him first, "You! You were at dinner last night with Milah!"

Gone was the jittery man from the night before and here stood a man with confidence and grace. The man slowly smiled as a look of delight adorned his face at being remembered, the way his eyes twinkled mischievously as they caught the firelight these characteristics could lure any woman to him like moths to a flame.

He was a typical Milah type Killian thought, "Mr. Swan, I am glad you remember me. So sorry we had to treat you so roughly, but you attacked my men first."

"I was helping some people that were being assaulted, it is no fault of mine that they are incompetent." She said haughtily cocking her head to the side slightly her hazel eyes shining a bit in amusement. Killian was mesmerized as was their captor for the moment.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Swan, I want to know where they are."

She sent him a glare, "Why?"

"Magic is forbidden here, Mr. Swan. It is punishable by death in my father's town."

"Well let me be the one to tell you sir, that they have no magic coursing through their veins. They are of no use to you." She told him evenly, though she knew differently. "Now I on the other hand," Emil held out her hand in front of her and allowed it to glow, "have plenty of magic, I even bet it could keep you going for a couple of years."

Killian felt his heart stop as he watched their captor walk towards his friend.

"You know don't you," he whispered as he kneeled down to her eye level, "about what my father does to keep it intact."

"I have my suspicions, it must take a lot of magic or in your case a great sacrifice to keep it enacted." She whispered back and felt herself be grabbed by the collar of her shirt and dragged towards the bars of her cage.

Killian made sounds of protest as he called out her name, he knew he couldn't do much from his cell door.

She looked dead into the eye of the false lord's son and smiled her most charming and lackluster smile, "Does that make you angry? That some outsider knows? Dear old daddy can't be to happy about that either right?"

He barely gave any indication that anything she said mattered, but she caught it deep in the back of his eyes she found a spark of fear, fear of the knowledge that his family's time sitting in luxury was coming to an end, she could feel his hands tremble as he release her and stood up.

He turned his heel and left with out another word to Emil and Killian in their cages and with out knowledge of what was to come.

-BREAK-

Later that night they found themselves planning their escape, Emil was looking out the window waiting for the moon to pop up in the sky since the torches had been put out.

The clouds lazily strolled across the sky, but some moonlight managed to come through, shining down on Emil and creating her shadow. "Swan are you sure about this?" Killian whispered in case they were being guarded, which she doubted.

"I _**have**_ done it before," she told him as she pulled a small knife from the bottom of her boot.

"I swear, man, if you had that we could have probably escaped hours ago and have been back in town eating dinner." Killian said annoyed at being weaponless.

Emil only hushed him again as she took her knife and started cutting along the seam where her shadow met her body.

The sensation was still odd, she'd never get used to the unnatural tingling feeling or the fact that it felt like hot iron cutting through her skin, but it was their only way so far to escape and they were going to need to leave soon.

Once her shadow was fully cut off from her, she sent it off with her feather and two different messages.

Sitting down she placed her head between her knees and took deep breaths.

"Are you alright?" Killian finally asked from his cell he'd watched as Emil cut it off of her body and send the shadow creature away.

"I'll be fine." Her muffled response as she breathed.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"Neverland, Jones. My master and I went there for my first year of apprenticeship, met a boy named Peter Pan, he was a menace and was always trying to rile my master up." She chuckled at the memory. "Master was a patient man, but he was also a cautious and smart he offered me up to Pan and the lost boys to learn from them he said, but he just wanted me to keep them away from him while he visited with the Indian chief," Emil sighed as she thought back, "I was twelve and new to traveling from different worlds, they would always make fun of me, so I took to setting up elaborate traps and let the boys walk into them. Pan took a liking to me when he caught me in one of his traps and decided to show me how to survive Neverland. Told me he cut off his own shadow because he was lonely and wanted a friend. Though I know that was a lie because he had a perfectly good shadow following him around."

"That sounds amazing, Swan. The places you've been," he said in awe amazed that his friend had shared so much with him, "those are the type of places I can only dream of."

"Yeah, well Neverland is a land of dreams alright, not a place for grown ups," she warned him, the tone in his friend's voice got his attention as he looked at her.

"It seems like fun and games there, and at first it is, but it is a place **only** for children who want to play and have fun, after a while you lose yourself and forget why you are there or how you got there. It is place where you never age, never grow up..."

Her voice drifted off as she recalled her time there she thought she heard laughter far off into the distance, but she quickly snapped back to reality, "Anyway perhaps when this is over, you and I can go on an adventure of our own, what do you say Jones?"

Killian's lips twitched at the thought, "That sounds like an idea that I can get on board with, Swan."

Emil sleepily smiled over at her friend, "Yeah, we can take to the seas, I am done with traveling by wing."

He gave her a rather dry look, "We'd need a ship and a crew."

Looking over to Emil's cell he saw her lying down and covering herself with her cloak, eyes drooping shut as she tried to keep up the conversation. Her golden hair dirty with the dirt around the cell.

"That won't be," she yawned, "a problem. I have a ship, it just needs a captain."

"Are you serious, Swan?" Killian said as he sat up he noticed that his friend had already drifted off to sleep.

**A/N: So opinions? I could do with constructive criticism. **


	6. Lessons

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from OUAT or any other stories that you might recognize. Only the plot and the O.C.s are mine.**

6. Lessons

The next morning they yelled out as they were awakened with buckets of cold water, their captor opened the door to her cell and stalked right in, "Where are they!" He demanded.

"What are you talking about, your lordship?" Emil sneered as she wiped the cold water away from her face and tried to dry herself with her cloak.

"You know very well what I am talking about! The man that you were with two nights ago is gone, so is your woman! TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!" He demanded again as her grabbed her collar and shook Emil.

Emil gave him a bland look, "I have been in here all night long with no way of escape you stupid twit."

"If that is how you want to play it then allow me to give you incentive to tell me, GUARDS!"

"What are you doing?"

One of the guards opened Killian's door cell and a few entered to grab him. He was held pressed to the wall, as his arm was stretched out and kept steady, the guard that had opened the door drew a sword and held it over his head ready for the command.

"Teaching you why it is never smart to cross someone in power, you see no matter how powerful you are you have your rules to follow. I on the other hand am not bound by your stupid rules."

The young lord turned her so that she could see what was about to happen, Killian struggled against the men, but they wouldn't budge. Emil threw a furious glance at the man that was ordering the deed done.

"Let me tell you something, your lordship," the end of her sentence was said with all the hatred and venom she felt at the moment. "I do not like being threatened, and I do not like when something of mine is threatened either. There are consequences and you have to be ready to pay the price."

"Do it!"

The guard swung his sword downwards to sever Killian's hand from his arm when the ground started to shake, causing everyone to stumble.

The wall in Emil's cell burst open sending debris and dust everywhere, a loud deafening roar was heard. Emil used her head to brake her captor's nose for her release.

"Ack! Guards! Don't let them get away!" He said nasally as he clutched his broken nose and blood ran down his handsome face.

Emil weaved her way through the dust going by memory to reach Killian. "Jones! You still alive in here?"

"Swan!" Killian ran towards her ducking any fists that flew in his direction. He felt someone take his hand and be pulled close to the light where the hole was created.

He was glad to see the sky and sunlight, but he wasn't so happy to see the monster that stood before them that made him pause and yell. "Swan what the hell is that thing!"

"No time to explain, Brother you know what to do!"

He felt himself be grabbed from under his arms and slung over something hard. Looking over he saw Emil transform into a swan and fly ahead. The beast followed after the flying bird careful, it fell behind when it started to walk and take care of where it stepped.

It was the oddest sensation when they went over the barrier, it felt as though it was trying to keep him from leaving. Calling him to return, but the monster was stronger and just kept walking.

It continued walking deep into the forest until the sky began to darken again and it got to a clearing where there was an abandon shed hut thing, Emil was already there with a fire going and looked to be setting up camp.

"There you guys are!"

"What is this place?"

"This Jones is a halfway shed. Where travelers took shelter if they were caught in bad weather or were tired from traveling and needed to rest. The queen's father had these built for travelers and the queen continued to keep them. Places like these where built close to the enchanted forest for those that went from kingdom to kingdom, Prince Neal and I have used places like these before." She pointed at a little plaque that had a swan inside a hut. "Neal said that back when he was younger there was a lot of travelers coming and going, so these places were in constant use. Now though they seem to be abandon."

She smiled, "Now let me introduce you once more, Jones this is Brother, Brother, Killian Jones. Come let's have something to eat."

She looked through a bag that she didn't have before and took out what looked to be dried meat. The beast had placed him down on the ground as soon as they'd gotten there and joined Emil to eat.

"Care to explain, what this beast is Swan?"

Emil slammed her hands in front of Brother's face as he was about to take a bite from his food as though to shield him from Killian's words.

A lot of good that did since his ears were on a bit higher on his head, "He is just my traveling companion." She said innocently.

"That's nice, care to tell me what he is?"

Emil sighed and pulled away from the tall creature who began to eat. "Brother is an ogre. I found him as a small baby after the queen allowed me to stay. I raised him in secret until he was old enough to care for himself. Now he travels with me in the form of a wolf-dog, we have been together ever since. Though I suspect that he's found a lady love somewhere and won't let me meet her for fear of me stealing her away."

Killian sent his friend an bewildered look, "Right and I suppose you are a long lost prince from a far off kingdom as well?"

Emil laughed, there was the tinkling sound again and Brother snorted in amusement, "Yeah like I would make a good royal. No my friend I am just an orphan that was lucky to be taken in and given somewhere to sleep."

"Not to mention, they needed help with getting their kingdom back into shape." Brother grumbled in a deep low voice that rattled Killian to his bones. Emil only smiled and patted his shoulder, "You get used to it, but he usually grunts when he speaks."

"Right, so what's the plan, Swan? What are we supposed to do now?" Emil seemed to sober up immediately.

"We'll be returning to town in the morning, but we might need to take disguises."

"Don't you think someone will notice two unknown people entering the town?"

"I'll cast a glamour on us then," she said sounding a bit put out with him, "they will see us, but not notice who we are or why we are important. Does that sound better?"

"Aye, mate that sounds loads better."

Emil nodded and Brother changed into his wolf-dog form again and nestled up against her. "Let's get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long day."

-BREAK-

They managed to sneak into town with out being noticed just fine, Killian thought it would be best to check up on Milah to see how she was doing, since it was her boyfriend and his family that was out looking for them. More so Emil then Killian.

They got to barber shop and walked in quickly through the door. The place was ransacked the chairs were overthrown, combs and scissors strewn across the floor. It was dark even though sun was out in the sky.

"Milah?" Killian said as they walked towards the back where the barber and his daughter lived. They heard sobbing coming from one of the rooms upstairs.

The wolf-dog went up to check it out and a loud shriek was heard.

"Milah! Don't hurt the dog, love, it's only me and Emil."

"Emil!" They heard footsteps come towards them, when they caught sight of her she marched right up to them and slapped Emil across the face.

"OW! What was that for?" She exclaimed as she rubbed her injured cheek.

"You are the reason why we got ransacked, why my father was taken."

"Who told you that, the baron's son?"

"Baron's son? No, my boyfriend Kaleb, he came and told me the guards are looking for you, they took papa in for questioning yesterday." Her eyes began to water, "Now there's been a notice that he will be hung for helping a criminal in the market place today."

To say that she was angry was an understatement, she was furious her power could be felt through out the room and she seemed to glow even though she was covered in dirt and mud.

"Swan?" Killian's voice brought her back, she had to get control over herself or her magic would hurt someone.

Blinking a couple of times and looking away, "I'm sorry, my emotions got the better of me for a moment."

"It's alright, lad, we didn't see this coming."

"What are you two talking about? What's going on?"

"The plan will have to change," Emil said to herself out loud, "but before that Milah do you happen to have a needle and thread?" Emil's shadow drifted in and just hovered close to her.

"Is that..."

"My shadow, yes. Now needle and thread please?" The young woman hurried to fetch what was asked.

"What are you planning?" Killian asked her as he looked at her shadow hovering over her, eyes smiling and looking as though it was giggling. He found it odd it was as though the shadow was taunting him somehow.

Milah came back and handed her the thread and needle and she began to work on sewing her shadow back on.

"Don't look at it, Killian, since I've grown up and became such a serious and responsible person, my shadow when cut off tends to want to have fun and is very childish."

"Is that normal?"

"I don't know, I think it's that way because the first time we parted was in Neverland and I was walking on the edge of childhood and adulthood."

Slowly the shadow became long and lost its vibrancy.

They watched as Emil sewed herself back together, when she finished she stood up and tested her shadow out.

"There now I'm good to go. Brother," she called out and the wolf-dog ran up to her and she placed her white feather behind his ear. "Alright I need you to take Killian and Milah to his highness."

Brother nodded in understanding and she looked at Milah, "I am sorry that this happened. I am going to fix it, ok? I will get your father back."

Looking a bit skeptical she asked, "Did that dog understand what you just said?"

Her question caused Emil to chuckle and she replied, "You just saw me sew my shadow back on, I lit up this room with magic and all you see is my dog nodding his head? What a funny woman you are."

"Emil, what are you doing?"

"I am going to help get my friend's father back, Killian," she held her hand out for him to take which he did, "Don't worry, Jones, everything will be fine, I will find you after it's all over."

In a puff of white smoke Emil Swan disappeared leaving the wolf-dog to pull gently on Killian's pants leg.

**A/N: What do you think so far?  
**


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